“Corruption in Nigeria is not just endemic, but has become institutionalised. Until the country gets serious about strengthening its institutions, especially in key areas of the economy, this is unlikely to change,” says Lanre Akinola, former editor of the Financial Times’s publication ‘This Is Africa’.
Successive governments even before the return to democracy in 1999 have attempted to fight corruption, with varying degrees of success.
When on December 31, 1983, Muhammadu Buhari’s military government overthrew the regime of President Shehu Shagari, it detained most political leaders of the Second Republic, accusing them of indiscipline and profligacy.
For the first time in Nigerian history, the country’s security organizations were actively used to track down alleged acts of corruption through the Special Investigation Bureau preparatory to formal military style trials at Bonny Camp. As had been the initial practice by various prior military regimes, special asset recovery military tribunals were set up all over the country. The Buhari regime also purged the uppermost echelon of the Armed Forces, retiring all officers of the rank of Major General equivalent or above at the time of the coup.
A “War Against Indiscipline” (WAI) was launched. Such indiscipline was interpreted broadly to mean lack of environmental cleanliness, lack of manners (such as failing to take one’s place in queues), corruption, smuggling, desecration of the flag and disloyalty to the anthem.
On Tuesday August 27, 1985, Major General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida took over power from Buhari. The administration didn’t make any significant attempts to fight corrupt politicians; but the late General Sani Abacha’s regime which later succeeded the Babangida government, jailed many bank executives. The bank officials, including former heads of some of Nigeria’s largest banks, were imprisoned for alleged banking malpractices.
At the return of democracy in 1999, former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration also instituted a coordinated fight against corruption. The creation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2003 by Obasanjo, gave his administration a strong anti-graft posture. But Obasanjo’s grip over the organisation turned the agency into another tool of maintaining and exerting influence and power.
However, the EFCC during the Obasanjo administration, led by nonconformist crime fighter Nuhu Ribadu, managed to prosecute and convict a number of high profile corrupt individuals, including a former Inspector General of Police, ministers, bank chief executives and state governors.
The anti-corruption momentum began to wane under the stewardship of Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who would allow his government to be infiltrated by powerful and corrupt elements who demanded he turn a blind eye to graft and water down the EFCC as payback for their political support in the 2007 elections.
The administration of Goodluck Jonathan fared no better as it was engulfed in numerous scandals, including the $8bn fuel subsidy overpayments in 2012 and the unremitted funds to the state coffers by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, which former Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi estimated at $20bn. Both were seamlessly swept under the carpet, with the EFCC’s effectiveness in securing high profile convictions of society’s ‘big men’ becoming non-existent.
The emergence of Muhammadu Buhari on March 28, 2015 as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria came with a lot of hopes and expectations. His administration is seen by many as one that will usher in a new dawn in the political and economic life of Nigeria. The aura of incorruptibility has continued to favour him in the eyes of Nigerians and the international community.
Buhari was voted into office to, even if he fails to achieve any other thing, deal a lethal blow to the nation’s corruption levels. Many believe that Nigeria needs a man of his standing to change the attitude of politicians, businessmen and the general populace. Buhari, a known anti-corruption crusader, will need to stem the tide of graft and change the nation’s mentality towards corruption if he is to achieve the desired results and legitimacy his government needs.
Apart from corruption, deficient infrastructure and a sharp economic downturn occasioned by the fall in oil prices have made President Buhari’s task of salvaging Nigeria a more arduous one.
In a recent meeting with APC governors and at other fora, Buhari had reiterated his campaign promise that he will recover billions of dollars worth of stolen funds, within and outside the country. He had also spoken boldly of the United States and the international community’s offer of assistance in achieving this objective.
President Buhari seems to be keeping to his promises since action has began to be directed towards the country’s biggest issue - corruption.
The present administration had been investigating some activities of Jonathan’s administration with government officials, claiming that the past administration was characterised by impunity and large scale corruption.
Apart from probing the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the present administration is also beaming its searchlight on the management of the Excess Crude Account under Jonathan.
Some former aides of the ex-President such as his National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.); his Chief Security Officer, Mr. Gordon Obuah; and the former Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Dr. Patrick Akpobolokemi, have either been arrested, detained or investigated.
Buhari had on Tuesday in Abuja said that the prosecution of persons who have stolen national resources will begin in a matter of weeks.
Speaking at a meeting with members of the National Peace Committee led by Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar in the Presidential Villa, President Buhari declared that his administration was irrevocably committed to doing all within its powers to break the vicious cycle of corruption, unemployment and insecurity in Nigeria.
“Nigeria has to break this vicious cycle before we can make progress,” the President said, adding that his administration was diligently getting facts and figures pertaining to the nation’s stolen funds, before proceeding to the prosecution of identified culprits.
He told General Abdulsalami and members of his committee that the Federal Government, under his leadership, will not only ask for the return of stolen funds that have been stashed in foreign banks, but will also ensure that those who stole the funds are put on trial in Nigeria.
The President also said that as part of its actions to address the national problems it inherited, his administration was reorganising Nigeria’s revenue generating institutions.
The President further explained that a single treasury account had been established for all Federal revenue to ensure greater probity, transparency and accountability in the collection, disbursement and utilisation of national funds.
“As Petroleum Minister under Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo in the 1970s, I could not travel abroad until I had taken a memo to the Federal Executive Council asking for estacode. Now, everybody does what he wants.
“That is why security-wise and economically, we’re in trouble,” adding that those who have stolen the national wealth “will be in court in a matter of weeks and Nigerians will know those who have short-changed them.”
The general support shown by Nigerians towards the current fight against corruption is overwhelming, even though they are divided on whether the probe should be extended beyond Jonathan’s administration or not.
Much as Nigerians welcome and appreciate Buhari’s determination to rescue this country from the cobweb of corruption for which it has for years been entangled, the position of his government to limit her planned probe to the immediate past administration of Goodluck Jonathan alone did not go down well with some Nigerians.
It is the view of many that probing Jonathan’s administration alone will amount to witch-hunt while it will also portray Buhari as a vindictive person who is given to vendetta.
For instance, the Centre for Social Justice urged the federal government to extend its corruption probe beyond the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. Reacting to reports that President Buhari will limit his probe to the past administration, the Lead Director, CSJ, Eze Oyekpere, said it would be unfair to streamline corruption probes to only officials in the Jonathan government.
He stressed that there were some unscrupulous deals conducted by previous governments that were still fresh in the minds of Nigerians.
He said, “I take a holistic view about recovering public properties that were stolen and mismanaged. For instance, the Halliburton issue, the Siemens scandal did not just come up under the last administration. And those things are too recent for us to forget them. So I believe that he (Buhari) shouldn’t simply draw a line and say it is going to be from 2011 or from 2010, no.
“He should go back a little bit, even the power scandal that involves an expenditure of over $15bn where we can’t see the results up till today. He should go back a little bit, it shouldn’t be about Jonathan’s administration viz-a-viz PDP, APC, no. It should have been about our national interest and some of these issues are too recent in our memories for us to sweep them under the carpet.”
On May 27, less than 48 hours to the end of his tenure, Jonathan had advised Buhari not to single out his administration in any probe.
He said all those advising Buhari to probe his administration must also advise him to extend his probe beyond his regime or else, the probe will be seen as witch-hunting.
Jonathan said, “Some people are even calling for the probe of this government. I agree that in Nigeria, there are a number of things that we will probe, many things.
“Even debts owed by states and this nation from 1960 up to this time, they are saying it is Jonathan’s administration that is owing all the debts. I believe that anybody calling for probe must ensure that these probes are extended beyond the Jonathan administration, otherwise to me, it will be witch-hunting”.
In a related development, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Matthew Hassan-Kukah said that too much talk about probe is a distraction to the Buhari government. The spokesman of the General Abdulsalami Abubakar-led National Peace Committee had advised President Muhammadu Buhari not to be distracted from the core business of governance on account of too much talk about probe.
Speaking recently after a meeting between the committee and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, Kukah said though bringing treasury looters to book was important, government must place premium on providing the desired governance.
The bishop acknowledged the damaging effect of corruption on the country, stressing that it has set the nation backward on all fronts. However, he emphasized that it is also necessary that Nigerians including those in power do not get distracted from the core mandate of governance and the contributions of former President Goodluck Jonathan to the sustenance of peace which the country is enjoying today.
According to him, “There is no such thing as probe in a democratic setting like ours. What obtains is investigation, and once people lead and things are not right, investigation becomes necessary.
“However, in doing that, we must never be distracted from the spectacular actions undertaken by former President Jonathan. He is an individual. I think this whole thing about probe can be ascertained once investigations are concluded. But we are saying that a lot of talks and speculation about this probe are the distractions nobody needs. So, the most important thing is that we need a stable country first, before we can talk about these things. And they will have happened down the line”.
Recent high profile visits of past leaders and the private meeting between President Buhari and former President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, also had Nigerians thinking.
According to reports, the meeting was at the instance of the 2015 Elections Peace Committee, after former President Jonathan complained that President Buhari was not sticking to the peace accord they signed.
Jonathan was reported to have also sought for understanding on alleged corrupt practices and mismanagement of funds under his administration, with a source saying the former President claimed he was hearing about some of the graft allegations for the first time.
The report however claimed that President Buhari reportedly insisted that all looted funds must be returned to the nation’s coffers, adding that the President also restated his pledge that Jonathan had nothing to fear at all.
A day after Jonathan’s visit, Buhari also played host to former President Olusegun Obasanjo. But unlike Jonathan’s visit which was not made public, one of the photographers attached to the President was able to capture the two leaders. It was gathered that the two leaders discussed a number of national issues and Obasanjo offered his advice to Buhari.
However, it was not clear whether the two visits were connected.
The question in the lips of most Nigerians is whether Buhari will sustain the perceived political will to depart from the antecedents of past presidents and unleash a full-scale clean-up campaign of corrupt institutions and their proprietors. Political analysts fear that, a deep cleanup of the nation’s eroded moral fabric will surely unearth various scandals and will make the president some powerful enemies, even within his own party, the APC.
No doubt President Muhammadu Buhari has what it takes to fight corruption; being the reason why Nigerians overwhelmingly voted for him as a man of impeccable character. And like most people have reasoned, if Buhari cannot successfully fight corruption, then we should see it as an intractable disease that has come to stay with us.
http://weekend.peoplesdailyng.com/index.php/news/cover-news/6921-long-walk-to-nigeria-s-anti-corruption-war
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